Ashna Habib Bhabna’s King in the Land of the Princess, which explores the decline of traditional jatra pala in Bangladesh, is heading to two more international film festivals in Australia, even before its release in local cinemas.
Directed by Asif Islam, the film has already screened at the Moscow and Kazan festivals this year, as well as the Melbourne festival. It will now feature at the Indian Film Festival of Sydney and the Indian Film Festival of Perth. Asif confirmed the news on Wednesday afternoon.
The film explores how changing audience tastes are reshaping traditional jatra pala, a form of folk theatre in Bangladesh. As audience demand shifts, the focus moves away from the original performance and towards a dancer named Princess Rosie, who becomes the main attraction.
Ashna Habib Bhabna plays Princess Rosie. She gained around nine kilograms for the role and expressed great excitement about taking it on. The film also features performers who work in traditional jatra pala.
The Indian Film Festival of Sydney will run from 29 October to 1 November. The four-day event will screen films from India and other South Asian countries. The Indian Film Festival of Perth will follow from 12 to 15 November, also running for four days.
The Perth festival is part of the same series of Indian film festivals held in Sydney and Melbourne, organised by the same team.
